1374. COLONY (Penal), Sierra Leone and.—[continued].
The consequences of
permitting emancipations to become extensive,
unless a condition of emigration be annexed
to them, furnish matter of solicitude to the
Legislature of Virginia. Although provision
for the settlement of emancipated negroes
might perhaps be obtained nearer home than
Africa, yet it is desirable that we should be
free to expatriate this description of people
also to the colony of Sierra Leone, if considerations
respecting either themselves or us
should render it more expedient. I pray you,
therefore, to get the same permission extended
to the reception of these as well as the [insurgents].
Nor will there be a selection of
bad subjects; the emancipations, for the most
part, being either of the whole slaves of the
master, or of such individuals as have particularly
deserved well. The latter are most
frequent.—
To Rufus King. Washington ed. iv, 443.
Ford ed., viii, 163.
(W.
1802)
